tear up the skies with you
by suzybishop
Summary: There are certain times where Robbie just shouldn't ask for Jade's help. This is currently one of them. / Or, Jade attempts to teach Robbie how to ride a bike, and it goes horribly wrong. Naturally. JadeRobbie.


**tear up the skies with you**

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kiddie!rade is my weakness and this was sitting around in my documents for months, so i decided to finish it woo! i'm not really fond of it, at all, but hopefully you like it anyways. :')

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"…Are you seriously crying right now?"

There are certain times where Robbie just shouldn't ask for Jade's help. This is currently one of them.

He's on the ground, his knee scraped up from the concrete, and Jade's glowering down at him, her hands on her hips, a scowl etched into her features. It's her standard You're Such An Idiot face that's typically reserved for Robbie, and sometimes, their friend Cat, when Jade has completely run out of Cat Tolerance.

Unfortunately, it seems as though Jade has officially run out of Robbie Tolerance – not that she obtains much anyway – and actually looks pained to be standing in his vicinity, instead of actually offering to help him up, which is why he (very manly) screeched her name in the first place.

"'m _not_ crying," Robbie mumbles petulantly, curling even deeper into the concrete to hide his tears of shame.

Not for long, though, because Jade starts kicking him until he rolls over and faces her again, her icy eyes contrasting the sunlight around them. Any other time Robbie would've thought she looked nice, pretty, even, but right now she looks downright terrifying, and Robbie feels himself growing smaller.

"Get off the ground, Shapiro," Jade groans loudly, finally deciding to be a good friend by forcefully yanking him to his feet, only to have him trip over his bike two seconds later.

Jade makes this pained noise in the back of her throat and Robbie sputters, his cheeks heating up as he regains his balance and slowly steps away from his bike.

"Is there some reason why you don't know how to ride a bicycle?" Jade asks irritably, unclasping her helmet from her chin.

(Her mom bought her this bright pink helmet, to which she brought over to Robbie's house and demanded he paint it that same day. Robbie did, of course, and now it's dark purple with skull stickers on it. His best friend is weird, _don't ask_. Possibly he's even weirder for complying, but that's neither here nor there.)

Robbie frowns deeply, adjusting his own helmet. "I _can_ ride a bike," he protests indignantly, though he really can't, and picks up his bike with a huff. "I just fell, is all. I'm allowed to fall."

Jade rolls her eyes _really_ hard. "Yeah, okay. That's why you still have training wheels."

Robbie looks down at his bike resentfully. His mother really did put training wheels on his bicycle; this is the height of embarrassment! And Jade's just standing there, smirking, not even fazed that she just ruined his life, and now Robbie really wants to mold into the concrete and die.

"Fine," he stares down at the ground. "I actually can't ride a bike."

Jade snickers. "Yeah, that much was obvious."

"Just be quiet," Robbie snaps, surprised when Jade's expression softens as opposed to her hitting him. She usually hits him when he snaps at her because You Do Not Snap at Jade West, but right now, she actually looks sympathetic and Robbie doesn't want her pity but he'll take what he can get, so long as she helps him.

"It's not the end of the world, Shapiro, even if you are thirteen years old," Jade says finally, as if she chose her words carefully, though she knows full well that it's the end of Robbie's World. "I'll just teach you."

Robbie perks up, renewed with excitement. "That sounds great!" He exclaims, mumbling an apology when Jade winces at his excitement.

"It's too early for you," she grumbles, clipping her helmet back on her chin.

Robbie preens, pulling his bike upright so he can sit on it. He adjusts his helmet, grinning as he grips the bike handles.

Jade glares at him and says, "Stop grinning like you've won the freaking lottery. It's embarrassing." But Robbie knows Jade, and when the corners of her mouth crick up just a little, almost like a twitch, he knows she's amused – if only slightly.

"Never," he replies cheekily, and Jade just sighs heavily.

"Alright," she starts, placing her hands on her own bike handles. "First things first: know your basics. These," she points to her feet, which are resting on the bike peddles, "are your peddles, and also your breaks. You move your feet backwards to stop the chain from moving, which stops the bike as well." Jade even does a demonstration, peddling five feet away from her spot and using her brakes to come to a stop, glancing over her shoulder to stare at Robbie. "You try."

Robbie stares at her for a long moment. "Uh…"

"Robbie, I swear to God—"

"Jade, swearing is very bad—"

"_Robbie_!"

"Okay, fine, fine," Robbie looks at his handles, then back at Jade, and then at his handles again, "uh, okay. Peddling, that's what I'm going to do."

"Yes," Jade affirms, her teeth clench. "That's exactly what you're going to do, otherwise I just might kill you."

Robbie gulps loudly, gripping his bike handles with clammy hands. Finally, he does what's instructed, pushing down on his peddles pathetically, barely moving an inch from his spot. When he looks up, Jade's staring at him as if she wants to slaughter him.

"Really?" She groans up at the sky. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"I did what you asked!"

Jade slams her head against her arms, which are resting against the handles. "This is why no one finds you attractive."

Robbie squawks in disbelief. Since when are you supposed to be attractive at _thirteen_?

He flushes with embarrassment. "Michelle Burd told me I was cute!" Robbie cries indignantly, because she _did_, and she's cute, too, so that is definitely something.

Jade snorts a little. "Well, I guess so, considering she's more awkward than you are."

Robbie groans. Of all the people Robbie could've asked for help, he chose Jade West. Figures.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment," he mutters petulantly, looking away from her to stare pensively at his shoes. He has gross smudges and scraps on his new Converse already! The universe is definitely out to get him.

"Robbie..." Jade's voice is surprisingly soft, apologetic almost, which causes Robbie to look up quickly because Jade West never apologizes. "Look, you're going to learn how to ride this goddamn bike even if it kills me, alright?"

Robbie's heart feels less heavy and he smiles. "Alright."

Jade hits his arm - _hard_ - and schools her face, before abandoning her own bike and rounding Robbie to place her hand on one of his handles. "Don't worry about steering for now, okay? Just try to get the peddling down," she must sense Robbie's worry because she rolls her eyes at him again. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

Robbie allows himself to relax at that, even though Jade's let him fall numerous times (and laughed) and refocuses. "Okay, I'm ready," he says unnecessarily, moving his feet forward on the peddles, ignoring the lurch in his throat and the familiar tightening in his chest. God, he needs his inhaler, and Jade's going to make fun of him if he tells her he does and-

His bike stops suddenly.

Jade glares at him. "Stop thinking," she orders firmly, knowingly, and Robbie sighs, complying.

He gives it another shot, relaxing into the motion, and soon he gets the hang of it, realizing how easily peddling is. Jade has to pick up her pace to keep up with his eager peddling, her breaths warming his ear as he peddles down the street.

Faintly he hears Jade says she's going to let go and barely recognizes the absence of her shoulder pressed against his, the brush of her pinkie against his thumb, because he's doing it and he hasn't fallen and he doesn't even need his inhaler!

Something catches his peripheral and suddenly his swerving, and he hears Jade scream his name before he collides with the trunk of a pickup truck, his neck embedded into the metal.

It takes one, two, three seconds for him to fall backward and hit the ground and Jade's there, hovering above him, and it's the worst deja vu of Robbie's entire life.

Jade smirks a bit. "Well, at least you're not crying," she says, her voice laced with mockery. Robbie just glares up at her and she rolls her eyes once again - jeez, is this her default reaction to _everything_ he does now, or - and pulls him off the ground. "We should probably find your inhaler before you start wheezing or something equally gross."

"'m - _not_ - wheezing," Robbie (cursedly) wheezes angrily, because the smirk on Jade's face is truly aggravating.

Jade grabs his wrist, and it makes Robbie's head feel warm. "Right," she drawls out, steering him towards his house.

(And no, Robbie Shapiro never learns how to ride a bike, but Jade doesn't make fun of him _too_ badly for it, because sometimes she's good to him like that.)

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_fin_


End file.
